Composition for preventing or treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a composition for preventing and treating  Mycoplasma synoviae  infection, the composition comprising Tuf, NOX, MS53-0285 or a combination thereof as active ingredients. The composition of the present disclosure is effective in alleviating symptoms caused by  Mycoplasma synoviae  infection and can be used as an effective tool in preventing or treating poultry diseases.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present application relates to a composition for preventing or treating Mycoplasma spp. infection, particularly to a composition for preventing or treating Mycoplasma synoviae.

Description of Related Art

Mycoplasma spp. is currently known as the smallest prokaryote capable of self-replicating extracellularly. They are spherical with a diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 μm, or filament-like with a length of 1 μm. As fastidious bacteria, they are difficult to culture and their growth rate is very slow. It is known that several types of Mycoplasma spp. are associated with a number of human or animal diseases.

Studies have shown that poultry can be infected with dozens of types of Mycoplasma spp., including Mycoplasma synoviae, a disease-causing microorganism listed in the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) document regarding Mycoplasma diseases. Thus, Mycoplasma synoviae is an important pathogen to be taken into consideration for the prevention or treatment in poultry.

Mycoplasma synoviae may cause synovitis or arthritis. Mycoplasma synoviae infection in broiler chicken will result in lower feed efficiency, higher mortality rate and poultry carcasses condemnation rate. Mycoplasma synoviae infection in breeder chickens and layer chickens will result in lower egg production rate and higher embryo mortality rate. Mycoplasma synoviae infection in chickens will be more likely to result in secondary infection caused by viral or bacterial pathogens, causing significant financial losses for poultry farmers. Manufacturers of veterinary vaccines worldwide have developed live and inactivated vaccines for the poultry industry; however, culturing Mycoplasma synoviae is difficult and costly. Therefore, there remains a need in this field for vaccines that can be used for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, one object of the present disclosure is to provide antigens suitable for being used in Mycoplasma synoviae subunit vaccines, thereby producing subunit vaccines to reduce disease prevention costs.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a subunit vaccine with multiple antigens that can be used for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection. Such vaccine provides better protection than single-antigen vaccines.

To this end, the present disclosure provides a composition for preventing Mycoplasma synoviae infection, comprising: active ingredients, which comprise Tuf, NOX, MS53-0285 and a combination thereof, wherein said Tuf has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 01, said NOX has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 02, and said MS53-0285 has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 03; and a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant.

Preferably, said active ingredients are at least two proteins selected from the group consisting of: Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285. More preferably, said active ingredients include Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285.

More preferably, said active ingredients have a concentration of 40 to 900 μg/mL based on the total volume of said composition.

Possibly, said pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant is a complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant, alumina gel, surfactant, polyanion adjuvant, peptide, oil emulsion, or a combination thereof.

Preferably, said composition further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable additive. Possibly, said pharmaceutically acceptable additive is a solvent, stabilizer, diluent, preservative, antibacterial agent, antifungal agent, isotonic agent, absorption delaying agent, or a combination thereof.

Preferably, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are tracheal lesion, air sac lesion, arthritis or a combination thereof.

Preferably, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least arthritis provided that said active ingredients include Tuf. Preferably, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least air sac lesion provided that said active ingredients include NOX and MS53-0285, or a combination thereof. More preferably, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least tracheal lesion provided that said active ingredients include MS53-0285.

Preferably, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are tracheal lesion, air sac lesion and arthritis provided that said active ingredients comprise Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285.

The present disclosure also provides an expression vector, comprising: a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 6 or a combination thereof; expression elements including a promoter and a ribosome binding site; and a fusion partner sequence.

The present disclosure further provides an expression vector, comprising: a nucleotide sequence translated as a protein of Tuf, NOX, MS53-0285 or a combination thereof, wherein said Tuf has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 01, said NOX has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 02, and said MS53-0285 has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 03; expression elements including a promoter and a ribosome binding site; and fusion partner sequences.

Preferably, said fusion partner is DsbC from E. coli, MsyB from E. coli, FklB from E. coli or a combination thereof.

Preferably, said expression vector has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 07, SEQ ID NO: 08, or SEQ ID NO: 09.

The present disclosure further provides the use of protein for producing a composition for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection, wherein said protein comprises Tuf, NOX, MS53-0285 or a combination thereof; wherein said Tuf has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 01, said NOX has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 02, and said MS53-0285 has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 03.

In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure discloses antigens used for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection and as active ingredients for subunit vaccines. The results of the present disclosure not only provide a novel option for preventing Mycoplasma synoviae infection, but also discloses that “cocktail” subunit vaccines combining two or more antigens (i.e. containing two or more antigens as active ingredients) have a better immunity-inducing effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the result of Example 4 of the present invention. (A) Protein electrophoresis was used to evaluate the solubility of the recombinant antigens manufactured in the present disclosure (T represents total cell lysates; S represents soluble fraction). (B) Protein electrophoresis was used to evaluate the purity of the recombinant antigens purified in the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the positive Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies responses in the chicken serum of Example 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the level of increase in footpad thickness of chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the level of increase in footpad temperature of chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the footpad infection scores of chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows (A) the air sac lesion scores of chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 5 of the present invention, and (B) tracheal mucosal thickness of chickens in Example 5. The statistics shows that the vaccines of the present disclosure are statistically significant compared to the (positive control group) (T-test, †: p<0.1).

FIG. 7 shows the positive Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies responses in the chicken serum of Example 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows the positive Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies responses in the chicken serum of Example 7 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows the average daily gain of chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 7 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows footpad thickness changes displayed by chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 7 of the present invention. The statistics shows that the vaccines of the present disclosure are statistically significant compared to the positive control group (T-test, †: p<0.1).

FIG. 11 shows footpad temperature changes displayed by chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 7 of the present invention. The statistics shows that the vaccines of the present disclosure are statistically significant compared to the positive control group (T-test, †: *: p<0.05).

FIG. 12 shows the positive Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies responses in the chicken serum of Example 8 of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows the average daily gain of chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 8 of the present invention. The statistics shows that the vaccines of the present disclosure are statistically significant compared to the positive control group (T-test, †: *: p<0.05).

FIG. 14 shows footpad temperature changes displayed by chickens infected with Mycoplasma synoviae in Example 8 of the present invention. The statistics shows that the vaccines of the present disclosure are statistically significant compared to the positive control group (T-test, †: p<0.1; *: p<0.05).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The development results of the present disclosure prove that Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285 can be used as active ingredients in subunit vaccines for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection. The phrase “preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection” herein refers to reduce infection level of Mycoplasma synoviae in poultry, such as alleviating diseases caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection. Said diseases include but not limited to tracheal lesion, air sac lesion or arthritis (such as footpad swelling or footpad inflammation). From a scientific point of view, it is impossible to demonstrate whether the subjects are not infected with said disease-causing microorganisms at all. Therefore, it can be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art that in the field of disease prevention, the act of “preventing and treating” does not intend to keep the subject from being infected with any of said disease-causing microorganisms.

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a composition for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection. In one preferred embodiment, the composition is a subunit vaccine. In one preferred embodiment, the composition comprises Tuf as active ingredients, and said Tuf has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 01. In another preferred embodiment, the composition comprises NOX as active ingredients, and said NOX has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 02. In yet another preferred embodiment, the composition comprises MS53-0285 as an active ingredient, and said MS53-0285 has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 03.

A person having ordinary skill in the art can readily understand that as long as the antigen determinants on said proteins are not affected, said amino acid sequence can be altered to a certain degree and still falls within the scope of the present invention. For example, a few amino acids in said sequence may be altered by a person having ordinary skill in the art, but the immunity-inducing effect as described herein can still be generated. Alternatively, based on the needs of a person having ordinary skill in the art, other sequences may be added into said sequence to facilitate production without affecting the immunity-inducing effect as described herein. In this regard, the modified sequence should still falls within the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, when said active ingredients include Tuf, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least arthritis. Nevertheless, the fact that said active ingredients include Tuf does not suggest that they are ineffective in preventing other diseases, but rather that they are more effective in preventing arthritis.

In one embodiment, when said active ingredients include NOX, MS53-0285 or a combination thereof, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least air sac lesion. Nevertheless, the fact that said active ingredients include NOX, MS53-0285 or a combination thereof does not suggest that they are ineffective in preventing other diseases, but rather that they are more effective in preventing air sac lesion.

In one embodiment, when said active ingredients include MS53-0285, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least tracheal lesion. Nevertheless, the fact that said active ingredients include MS53-0285 does not suggest that they are ineffective in preventing other diseases, but rather that they are more effective in preventing tracheal lesion.

In one embodiment, when said active ingredients include Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285, said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least tracheal lesion, air sac lesion and arthritis.

In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a cocktail vaccine used for preventing or treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection. The cocktail vaccine as described herein contains two and more antigens. In a preferred embodiment, the cocktail vaccine as described herein contains two and more antigens from the same type of disease-causing microorganism. In general, combining two or more antigens in a single vaccine does not necessarily contribute synergistically to the immunity-inducing effect of the vaccine. Instead, it may lead to an unfavorable consequence that the immunity-inducing effects of two or more antigens offset each other. In terms of cost, even if the immunity-inducing effects of two or more antigens do no offset each other, it is not worthwhile combining these two or more antigens in a single vaccine when there is no synergistic effect.

In a preferred embodiment, the active ingredients of said cocktail are at least two proteins selected from the group consisting of the following proteins: Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285. More preferably, said active ingredients include Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285. In a possible embodiment, as long as the antigen determinants on the folding from said amino acid sequences are not destroyed, said active ingredients may be fusion proteins having any two or more of said amino acid sequences. In another possible embodiment, said cocktail vaccine uses said proteins that are independent of each other.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the present disclosure further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant and/or a pharmaceutically acceptable additive. Said pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant is used for enhancing the immunity-inducing effect of active ingredients, maintaining the stability of active ingredients, and enhancing the safety of said composition when used as a vaccine. Said pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant is, including without limitation, a complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant, alumina gel, surfactant, polyanion adjuvant, peptide, oil emulsion, or a combination thereof. Said pharmaceutically acceptable additive may be, including without limitation, a solvent, stabilizer, diluent, preservative, antibacterial agent, antifungal agent, isotonic agent, absorption delaying agent, or a combination thereof.

In a possible embodiment, the composition of the present disclosure can be made into formulations that are administered orally, nasally, intravenously, intramuscularly or intraperitoneally. In a possible embodiment, the active ingredients in the composition of the present disclosure have a concentration of 40 to 900 μg/mL based on the total volume of said composition. In another possible embodiment, the active ingredients in the composition of the present disclosure have a concentration of 40 to 600 μg/mL based on the total volume of said composition. In the cocktail vaccine of the present invention, the concentration of said active ingredients is the total concentration of all the antigens contained in said cocktail vaccine. In one embodiment, for example, when the cocktail vaccine of the present disclosure contains said Tuf antigens and said NOX antigens as active ingredients, said “concentration of active ingredients” is the total of the concentration of said Tuf antigens and that of said NOX antigens. In another embodiment, when the cocktail vaccine of the present disclosure contains said Tuf antigens, said NOX antigens and said MS53-0285 as active ingredients, said “concentration of active ingredients” is the total of the concentration of said Tuf antigens, that of said NOX antigens, and that of MS53-0285 antigens.

On the other hand, an obstacle to express said active ingredients in prokaryotic expression systems is to purify the expressed active ingredients from the said prokaryotic expression systems. Recombinant proteins expressed in prokaryotic expression systems are typically non-soluble, thereby making the purification process more difficult and costly. In this regard, one advantage of the antigen expression vector of the present disclosure is the ability to express soluble recombinant antigens, thereby simplifying the purification process and reducing its costs.

Thus, in another aspect, the present disclosure relates to an expression vector, which is used for producing said Tuf, NOX or MS53-0285. The expression vectors of the present disclosure comprise nucleotide sequences, expression elements and fusion partner sequences. Said nucleotide sequences can be translated as Tuf, NOX, MS53-0285 or a combination thereof.

Said expression elements refer to elements required for initiating transcription and translation processes in the expression system. Said expression elements should at least include a promoter and a ribosome binding site. Preferably, said expression elements may further include: an operator, enhancer sequences for enhancing translation/transcription, or a combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, said expression vector is used in an E. coli expression system, and said expression elements can be recognized by E. coli.

In a preferred embodiment, the research of the present disclosure has proved that DsbC from E. coli, MsyB from E. coli, FklB from E. coli, or a combination thereof is preferably used as a fusion partner for expression of said antigens of the present invention, thereby making the recombinant proteins produced in a prokaryotic expression system as soluble form. In a preferred embodiment, in order to facilitate the purification process, said expression vector may further comprise a sequence encoding His-tag, GST-tag or a combination thereof, so that the obtained recombinant proteins can be purified using a nickel ion affinity column or a glutathione affinity column.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a use of composition, in which said Tuf, NOX or MS53-0285 are used, for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection. No further elaboration is needed for said composition for preventing and treating Mycoplasma synoviae infection since it has been previously described.

The following examples describe the experiments carried out for the development of the present disclosure to further illustrate the features and advantages thereof. It should be understood that the examples listed below are merely exemplary of the invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of the claims.

Example 1: Cloning of Mycoplasma synoviae Genes

Gene-specific primers are designed for various antigens (Table 1). A genomic DNA of Mycoplasma synoviae was used as a template and gene-specific primers were combined to amplify target genes.

TABLE 1 Primer pairs used for amplifying target genes Target Primer sequence gene Primer sequence (5′ to 3′) tuf TUFBAMHIF (SEQ ID NO: 10): GATATAGGATCCATGGCAAAATTAGATTTTGACCGTT TUFSALIR (SEQ ID NO: 11): CAATATGTCGACTTTAACGATTTTTGTAACTGATCCGG nox NOXBAMHIF (SEQ ID NO: 12): GATATAGGATCCATGGAAAACAAAAAAATTATAGTTGT TGGT NOXSALIR (SEQ ID NO: 13): CAATATGTCGACAGCTTTATATTTTAAACCAAGTGCTC TTAAA ms53- MS53BAMHIF (SEQ ID NO: 14): 0285 GATATAGGATCCATGAATAAAACAAAAATTAAATTTAT TTTAGGAA MS53SALIR (SEQ ID NO: 15): CAATATGTCGACATTATTATTTGAACCAAATGTATCTC TAAATGA *GGATCC: BamHI cleavage site; GTCGAC: SalI cleavage site

1. Extracting Genomic DNA of Mycoplasma synoviae

-   -   The genomic DNA of Mycoplasma synoviae WVU 1853 (American Type         Culture Collection® 25204™) was extracted using a DNA         purification kit (Tissue & Cell Genomic DNA Purification kit;         GMbiolab, Taiwan). First, 4.5 mL of the liquid culture of         Mycoplasma synoviae was added into a centrifuge tube. After         centrifugation (5,870×g, 5 minutes), the supernatant was removed         and the pellet was collected. Then, 20 μL of proteinase K (10         mg/mL) and 200 μL of extraction reagent were added and allowed         to react at 56° C. for 3 hours. 200 μL of binding solution was         added and allowed to react at 70° C. for 10 minutes. When the         reaction was completed, 200 μL of absolute alcohol was added and         the mixture was transferred into a micro-centrifuge tube to be         mixed thoroughly. The resulting solution (including         precipitates) was pipetted into a spin column and the spin         column was then put into a collection tube. After centrifugation         (17,970×g) for 2 minutes, the supernatant was removed and 300 μL         of binding solution was added again into the spin column. After         centrifugation (17,970×g) for 2 minutes, the supernatant was         removed. 700 μL of wash solution was added into the spin column         and the mixture was centrifuged (17,970×g) for 2 minutes, and         then the supernatant was removed, with the above steps being         repeated once. Finally, the mixture was centrifuged at 17,970×g         for 5 minutes to remove residual alcohol. The spin column was         put into a sterilized micro-centrifuge tube and an appropriate         amount of sterile deionized water was added to drain the genomic         DNA.

2. Amplifying Target Genes Using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

-   -   The genomic DNA of Mycoplasma synoviae was used as a template         and primers designed for tuf gene, nox gene, and ms53-0285 gene         were used for PCR reaction, respectively. Primers used in PCR         and PCR reaction conditions are shown in Table 2 below (primer         sequences are shown in Table 1), wherein 50 μL of PCR reaction         mixture contained 1×GDP-HiFi PCR buffer B, 200 μM of mixture of         dATP, dTTP, dGTP, and dCTP, 1 μM of amplification primers, 200         ng of Mycoplasma synoviae genomic DNA and 1 U of GDP-HiFi DNA         polymerase. After the completion of the PCR reaction, gel         electrophoresis was conducted to confirm the existence of the         DNA fragments with expected sizes.

TABLE 2 PCR reaction conditions and primer pairs Target gene Primer pair Reaction conditions tuf TUFBAMHIF 96° C. for 5 minutes; 94° C. for 30 TUFSALIR seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68° C. for 45 seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes nox NOXBAMHIF 96° C. for 5 minutes; 94° C. for 30 NOXSALIR seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68° C. for 45 seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes ms53-0285 MS53BAMHIF 96° C. for 5 minutes; 94° C. for 30 MS53SALIR seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68 C. for 1 minute and 15 seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes

3. Recovery and Cloning PCR Products

-   -   The recovery of the PCR products was carried out using the PCR         Clean Up system kit (GMbiolab, Taiwan) and following the         operations manual. Cloning of the target gene was then carried         out using the CloneJET PCR Cloning Kit according to the         manufacturer's operations manual. The ligation mixture was         transformed into E. coli strain ECOS™ 9-5. The conditions of         transformation are provided in the manual or may be modified         based on standard experimental procedures in the art.     -   The bacteria transformed were cultured on LB solid medium         containing ampicillin (100 μg/mL). After the formation of         colonies, a colony PCR was conducted to screen the strains.         First, lx Taq reaction buffer, 200 μM dNTP (dATP, dTTP, dGTP and         dCTP), 1 μM amplification primers and 2.5 U DreamTaq DNA         polymerase (Thermo, USA) were mixed to formulate 100 μL PCR         reagent. After mixing, the PCR mixture was distributed to         several PCR tubes (10 μL/tube). Colonies on the plates were         picked into the PCR tubes for PCR reaction. The conditions for         PCR reaction are: 95° C. for 5 minutes; 95° C. for 30 seconds,         55° C. for 30 seconds, 72° C. for X minutes (25 cycles); 72° C.         for 7 minutes, wherein “X” was determined by the extension time         required for the DNA polymerase. The time for tuf gene and nox         gene was set as 1 minute 30 seconds, and the time for ms53-0285         gene was set as 2 minutes 30 seconds. After the PCR reaction,         gel electrophoresis was conducted to confirm the PCR results.         Colony PCR was used to confirm that recombinant plasmids in the         transformed strains had insert DNA, and plasmids therein were         then extracted for DNA sequencing (Tri-I Biotech, Inc.). The         plasmids having tuf gene, nox gene and ms53-0285 gene were named         as pJET-TUF, pJET-NOX and pJET-MS53, respectively.

4. Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Nox Gene

-   -   nox gene has three TGA codons. TGA codons can be translated as         tryptophan in Mycoplasma spp., and as stop codons in E. coli. In         order to avoid failure to produce intact proteins using E. coli         expression system, point mutations at TGA codons in nox gene         must be induced, in order to replace said codons with those         (TGG) that can be recognized by E. coli and translated as         tryptophan.     -   Criteria for designing mutagenic primers included centering the         mutation in the middle of the primer with a Tm of at least         78° C. The Tm value of the primer was calculated using the         following formula provided by Invitrogen:         Tm=81.5+0.41(% GC)−675/N−% mismatch,

where “% GC” is the percentage of G or C nucleotides in the primer; “N” is the length of the primer; and “% mismatch” is the percentage of mutated bases in the primer. The primers used for point mutation of nox gene are listed in Table 3 below, including NOXBAMHIF/NOXM2, NOXM1/NOXM4, NOXM3/NOXM6 and NOXM5/NOXSALIR.

TABLE 3 Primers used for point mutation in nox gene Primer Primer sequence (5′ to 3′) NOXBAMHIF SEQ ID NO: 16 GATATAGGATCCATGGAAAACAAAAAAATTATAGTTGTTGGT NOXM2 SEQ ID NO: 17

NOXM1 SEQ ID NO: 18

NOXM4 SEQ ID NO: 19

NOXM3 SEQ ID NO: 20

NOXM6 SEQ ID NO: 21

NOXM5 SEQ ID NO: 22

NOXSALIR SEQ ID NO: 23 CAATATGTCGACAGCTTTATATTTTAAACCAAGTGCTCTTAAA

-   -   The 50 μL of PCR mixture contained 1×GDP-HiFi PCR buffer B; 200         μM of mixture of dATP, dTTP, dGTP, and dCTP; 1 μM of         amplification primer; 100 ng of pJET-NOX and 1 U GDP-HiFi DNA         polymerase. The PCR reaction condition was: 98° C. for 2         minutes; 94° C. for 30 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68° C.         for 30 seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes.     -   After the PCR reaction, gel electrophoresis was conducted to         confirm the existence of the DNA fragments with expected sizes.         The PCR products were collected using Gel-M™ gel extraction         system kit. The four PCR products collected were used as         templates for gene amplification using NOXBAMHIF/NOXSALIR primer         pair. The PCR reaction condition was: 96° C. for 2 minutes;         94° C. for 30 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68° C. for 45         seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes. Following this step,         a full-length point-mutated nox gene was obtained. PCR product         was collected using PCR Clean Up kit.

5. Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Ms53-0285 Gene

-   -   ms53-0285 gene has six TGA codons. The primers used for point         mutation of ms53-0285 gene are listed in Table 4 below,         including MS53BAMHIF/MS53M2, MS53M1/MS53M4, MS53M3/MS53M6,         MS53M5/MS53M8, MS53M7/MS53M10, MS53M9/MS53M12 and         MS53M11/MS53SALIR.

TABLE 4 Primers used for point mutation in ms53-0285 gene Primer Primer sequence (5′ to 3′) MS53BAMHIF SEQ ID NO:  24 GATATAGGATCCATGAATAAAACAAAAATTAAATTTATTTTAGGAA MS53M2 SEQ ID NO: 25:

MS53M1 SEQ ID NO: 26

MS53M4 SEQ ID NO: 27

MS53M3 SEQ ID NO: 28

MS53M6 SEQ ID NO: 29

MS53M5 SEQ ID NO: 30

MS53M8 SEQ ID NO: 31

MS53M7 SEQ ID NO: 32

MS53M10 SEQ ID NO: 33

MS53M9 SEQ ID NO: 34

MS53M12 SEQ ID NO: 35

MS53M11 SEQ ID NO: 36

MS53SALIR SEQ ID NO: 37 CAATATGTCGACATTATTATTTGAACCAAATGTATCTCTAAATGA

-   -   The 50 μL of PCR mixture contained 1×GDP-HiFi PCR buffer B; 200         μM of mixture of dATP, dTTP, dGTP, and dCTP; 1 μM of         amplification primer; 100 ng of pJET-MS53 and 1 U GDP-HiFi DNA         polymerase. The PCR reaction condition was: 96° C. for 2         minutes; 94° C. for 30 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68° C.         for 30 seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes.     -   After the PCR reaction, gel electrophoresis was conducted to         confirm the existence of the DNA fragments with expected sizes.         The PCR products were collected using Gel-M™ gel extraction         system kit. The seven PCR products collected were used as         templates for gene amplification using MS53BAMHIF/MS53SALIR         primer pair. The PCR reaction condition was: 96° C. for 2         minutes; 94° C. for 30 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, 68° C.         for 1 minute and 15 seconds (35 cycles); 68° C. for 5 minutes.         Following this step, a full-length point-mutated ms53-0285 gene         was obtained. PCR product was collected using PCR Clean Up kit.

Following the above operations, tuf gene (SEQ ID NO: 04), nox gene (SEQ ID NO: 05) and ms53-0285 gene (SEQ ID NO: 06) were obtained. They can be translated as Tuf (SEQ ID NO: 01), NOX (SEQ ID NO: 02) and MS53-0285 (SEQ ID NO: 03), respectively.

Example 3: Constructing Mycoplasma synoviae Antigen Expression Plasmids

Plasmids having dsbC gene of E. coli were used as backbone for constructing Mycoplasma synoviae antigen expression plasmids. The construction processes of expression plasmids are as follows:

1. Construction of Tuf Expression Vector

-   -   Amplified tuf gene was cut with BamHI and SalI and the resulting         DNA fragment was joined by T4 DNA ligase with a DsbC fusion         expression plasmid pET-HISDsbC pre-cut by the same restriction         enzymes. The ligation product was then transformed into E. coli         ECOS 9-5. Transformants were screened by colony PCR. Gel         electrophoresis was conducted to confirm the existence of the         amplified DNA fragment with the expected size. When it was         confirmed that the transformants contained inserted DNA in their         recombinant plasmids, the plasmids were extracted out for DNA         sequencing. The plasmids having the correct DNA sequence were         named as pET-HISDsbC-MSTUF (SEQ ID NO: 07).

2. Construction of NOX Expression Plasmid

-   -   Mutated nox gene was cut with BamHI and SalI and the resulting         DNA fragment was joined by T4 DNA ligase with a DsbC fusion         expression plasmid pET-DsbC pre-cut by the same restriction         enzymes. The ligation product was then transformed into E. coli         ECOS 9-5. Transformants were screened by colony PCR. Gel         electrophoresis was conducted to confirm the existence of the         amplified DNA fragment with the expected size. When it was         confirmed that the transformants contained inserted DNA in their         recombinant plasmids, the plasmids were extracted out for DNA         sequencing. The plasmids having the correct DNA sequence were         named as pET-DsbC-MSNOX (SEQ ID NO: 08).

3. Construction of MS53-0285 Expression Plasmid

-   -   Mutated ms53-0285 gene was cut with BamHI and SalI and the         resulting DNA fragment was joined by T4 DNA ligase with a DsbC         fusion expression plasmid pET-DsbC pre-cut by the same         restriction enzymes. The ligation product was then transformed         into E. coli ECOS 9-5. Transformants were screened by colony         PCR. Gel electrophoresis was conducted to confirm the existence         of the amplified DNA fragment with the expected size. When it         was confirmed that the transformants contained inserted DNA in         their recombinant plasmids, the plasmids were extracted out for         DNA sequencing. The plasmids having the correct DNA sequence         were named as pET-DsbC-MS53 (SEQ ID NO: 09).

Example 4: Expressing and Purifying Recombinant Mycoplasma synoviae Antigens

The plasmids for expressing Mycoplasma synoviae antigens were transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3), respectively. A single colony of the strain expressing the antigens was selected and inoculated in 12 mL of LB medium containing kanamycin (final concentration: 30 μg/mL). The resulting mixture was cultured overnight at 37° C. and at 180 rpm. Then, 10 mL of the liquid culture was added to 1 L of LB medium containing kanamycin (final concentration: 30 μg/mL) and was shake-cultured (37° C., 180 rpm) until OD₆₀₀ reached about 0.4-0.6. 0.1 mM IPTG was then added at 28° C. to induce protein expression. After for 4 hours of induction, the culture was centrifuged (10,000×g, 10 minutes, 4° C.) and bacterial cell pellet was collected. The bacterial cell pellet was resuspended in 10 mL of phosphate buffer (20 mM sodium phosphate, 500 mM NaCl, pH 7.4) and was disrupted by ultrasonication. The suspension was centrifuged (30,966×g, 30 min) and the supernatant was collected. Finally, the supernatant was filtered through a filter membrane with 0.22 μM pore size. Protein electrophoresis was conducted to observe the expression status and solubility of the recombinant antigens.

Protein purification was then conducted using immobilized-metal ion affinity chromatography by way of the covalent bonding between His tag on the recombinant antigens and nickel ions or cobalt ions. The recombinant antigens were purified by ÄKTA prime plus (GE Healthcare, Sweden) equipped with 5 mL HiTrap™ Ni excel column (GE Healthcare, Sweden). First, said supernatant was introduced into HiTrap™ Ni excel column after the column was equilibrated with 25 mL of phosphate buffer solution. After the sample was fully introduced, 100 mL of a wash buffer solution containing 30 mM imidazole (20 mM sodium phosphate, 500 mM NaCl, 30 mM imidazole, pH 7.4) was used to wash the column to remove non-specific proteins adhered thereon. Finally, 150 mL of an elution buffer solution containing 250 mM imidazole (20 mM sodium phosphate, 500 mM NaCl, 250 mM imidazole, pH7.4) was used to wash off the recombinant antigens from the resin, wherein imidazole of high concentration can compete with the recombinant antigens for binding sites on the resin, thereby causing the recombinant antigens to be washed off. The purified antigen solution was put into Amico™ ultra-15 ultracel-30K centrifuge tube (Merck Millipore, USA) to be centrifuged (2,600×g) at 4° C. until it reached an appropriate volume, and was then stored at 4° C. for further use.

The result is shown in FIG. 1. It can be observed from FIG. 1A that the expression antigens of this example have excellent solubility so as to be subsequently purified and commercialized. FIG. 1B shows that the antigens obtained through purification have reliable purity.

Example 5: Single-Antigen Vaccine Production and Chicken Experiments

4-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens (purchased from the Animal Drugs Inspection Branch of the Animal Health Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Taiwan) were used and kept in animal house facilities at the inspection branch. Recombinant Mycoplasma synoviae antigens Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285 were mixed individually with a commercially available adjuvant MONTANIDE™ Gel 01 (Seppic) following the operations manual, so that the final dose of each single-antigen vaccine became 50 μg/0.5 mL. 0.5 mL of these single-antigen vaccines were administered subcutaneously in the back of the neck of 4-week-old chickens. Second vaccination was conducted to chickens reaching 6 weeks of age. After vaccination, the chickens were observed for two weeks. Blood samples were then collected and centrifuged (2,000×g, 4° C., 15 minutes) to obtain serum samples. Mycoplasma synoviae antibodies were assayed using a commercial kit (IDEXX Mycoplasma synoviae Antibody Test Kit).

The results are shown in Table 5 below and in FIG. 2. The specific antibodies in serum of chickens administered with single-antigen vaccines of Tuf, NOX and MS53_0285 according to the present invention were all positive, with a positive rate of 57%, 71% and 75%, respectively.

TABLE 5 Positive rates of single-antigen vaccines Group Control Score group Tuf NOX MS53-0285 S/P ratio < 0.5 7 3 2 2 S/P ratio > 0.5 0 4 5 6 S/P positive rate (%) 0 57 71 75

Next, 8-week-old chickens were challenged with Mycoplasma synoviae through tracheae and footpads. The challenge strain used was ATRI 2014 (hereinafter “MS-f1”), which was isolated from commercial native chicken farm in Taiwan. The challenge strain was cultured in Mycoplasma medium at 32° C. and at 75 rpm for 32 hours.

In trachea challenge, the chickens were held and a feeding tube was inserted into the trachea of the chickens. 1 mL of broth of challenge strain with 10⁶ CCU was then injected using a syringe. Finally, the necks of the chickens were rubbed gently so that the broth could be spread out evenly. In footpad challenge, footpads were disinfected with alcohol wipes and 0.5 mL of broth of challenge strain with 10³ CCU was injected therein using a needle. After challenge, blood samples were collected and serum was isolated to assess Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies. Weight, footpad temperature and footpad thickness of the chickens at various time points were also recorded. At the end of the experiment, a dissection was performed to observe the symptoms of tracheae, air sac and footpad swelling among the chickens. Observed results were recorded following the diagnostic criteria for organ dysfunction as described in Table 6 below.

TABLE 6 Diagnostic criteria for organ dysfunction in poultry Tracheal lesion index Score Symptoms 0 No visible change. 1 Increased mucus; moderate mucosal blood stasis. 2 Increased mucus; mucosal blood stasis; cottage cheese-like discharge. 3 Increased mucus; mucosal blood stasis; cottage cheese-like discharge. Air sac lesion index Score Symptoms 0 No visible change. 1 Slightly cloudy or covered with small yellow cheese-like fiber protein spots. 2 Cloudy; slight thickened walls; covered with yellow substance. 3 Thicker walls; cloudy and opaque; covered with discharge forming yellow spots. Arthritis (footpad swelling) Score Symptoms 0 No change compared to left footpad. 1 Mild swelling. 2 Increased swelling that causes creases on footpad surface to disappear. 3 Increased swelling that spreads to neighboring tissues. 4 More severe swelling; redness and cracked skin; watery discharge/pus oozing from swollen sites that are cut open.

It could be observed from the footpad thickness of the chickens that the group of chickens administered with single-antigen vaccine had milder swelling than the positive group (see FIG. 3). On the other hand, the footpad temperature measurement results showed that the single-antigen vaccine of the present disclosure alleviated chicken footpad inflammation (FIG. 4). Further assessments and records of footpad infection showed that the chickens administered with the single-antigen vaccine of the present disclosure had less footpad infection levels, with Tuf vaccine being the most effective (FIG. 5).

Air sac lesion is another common type of infection as a result of Mycoplasma synoviae infection. Air sacs in healthy chicken should be transparent without being covered with discharges. FIG. 6A shows that among the chickens that had not been administered with said single-antigen vaccines, their air sacs thickened and were covered with yellow cheese-like fiber protein in a visible manner. On the other hand, air sac lesion could be effectively prevented by administering the single-antigen vaccine of the present invention. The results also showed that NOX and MS53-0285 vaccines were particularly effective in preventing air sac lesion.

Chicken tracheae were further sectioned. H&E staining was performed to observe the changes of mucus thickness on tracheal rings. The results showed that mucosal infection could be effectively prevented among the vaccinated groups, compared to the non-vaccinated challenge chickens, by administering the single-antigen vaccine of the present invention, with MS53-0285 subunit vaccine being the most effective (FIG. 6B).

It can be understood from the above results that despite slight differences in efficacy, Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285 vaccines of the present disclosure are generally effective in alleviating symptoms induced by Mycoplasma synoviae.

Example 6: Multi-Antigen Vaccine (Cocktail Vaccine) Production and Chicken Experiments

4-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens (purchased from the Animal Drugs Inspection Branch of the Animal Health Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Taiwan) were used and kept in animal house facilities at the inspection branch. Various combinations of antigens (Tuf+NOX, Tuf+MS53-0285, NOX+MS53-0285 and Tuf+NOX+MS53-0285) were mixed individually with commercially available adjuvants to obtain cocktail vaccines. Each antigen in each dose of vaccine (0.5 mL) was 50 μg.

0.5 mL of said recombinant-antigen vaccine was administered subcutaneously in the back of the neck of 4-week-old chickens. Second vaccination was conducted to chickens reaching 6 weeks of age. After vaccination, the chickens were observed for two weeks. Blood samples were then collected and centrifuged (2,000×g, 4° C., 15 minutes) to obtain serum samples. Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies were detected using a commercial kit (IDEXX Mycoplasma synoviae Antibody Test Kit).

The results are shown in Table 7 below and in FIG. 7, suggesting that double-antigen and triple-antigen vaccines both improved antibody production levels in chickens. In other words, when used in combinations, recombinant antigens did not cause mutual interference; instead, they produced synergistic effect that could strengthen immunity-inducing potential.

TABLE 7 Score S/P ratio < S/P ratio > S/P positive Group 0.5 0.5 rate (%) Tuf + NOX 3 4 57 Tuf + MS53-0285 0 7 100 NOX + MS53-0285 0 8 100 Tuf + NOX + MS53-0285 1 7 88

Example 7: Multi-Antigen Vaccine (Cocktail Vaccine) Production and Chicken Experiments

4-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens (purchased from the Animal Drugs Inspection Branch of the Animal Health Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Taiwan) were used and kept in animal house facilities at the inspection branch. The recombinant antigens Tuf, NOX and MS53-0285 were mixed with a commercially available adjuvant MONTANIDE™ ISA 71 VG (Seppic) to obtain the cocktail vaccine of the present invention. Each antigen in each dose of vaccine (0.5 mL) was 50 μg. Said adjuvant was mixed with said antigens at a 7:3 mix ratio by weight. Given that the specific gravity of said adjuvant is about 0.816, the vaccine produced in this experiment contained approximately 0.37 mL of adjuvant.

0.5 mL of said recombinant-antigen vaccine was administered subcutaneously in the back of the neck of 4-week-old chickens. Second vaccination was conducted to chickens reaching 6 weeks of age. After vaccination, the chickens were observed for two weeks. Blood samples were then collected and centrifuged (2,000×g, 4° C., 15 minutes) to obtain serum samples. Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies were detected using a commercial kit (IDEXX Mycoplasma synoviae Antibody Test Kit).

The results are shown in Table 8 below and in FIG. 8, suggesting that triple-antigen vaccines induced antibody production in chickens. In other words, when used in combinations, recombinant antigens did not cause mutual interference; instead, they produced synergistic effect that could strengthen immunity-inducing potential. These results are in line with those shown in FIG. 7.

TABLE 8 Group Control Triple-antigen Score group vaccine S/P ratio < 0.5 8 1 S/P ratio > 0.5 0 7 S/P positive rate (%) 0 88

Next, 8-week-old chickens were then challenged with Mycoplasma synoviae MS-f1 through tracheae and footpads. After the challenge, blood samples were collected and serum was isolated to assess Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies. Weight, footpad temperature, and footpad thickness of each chicken at various time points were also recorded. At the end of the experiment, a dissection was performed to observe the symptoms of tracheae, air sac and footpad swelling among the chickens. Observed results were recorded following the diagnostic criteria for organ dysfunction as described in Table 6.

The results showed that the triple-antigen vaccine of the present disclosure could alleviate weight loss that occurred on infected chickens (FIG. 9). In addition, the triple-antigen vaccine was also effective in reducing symptoms regarding footpad swelling and temperature (FIGS. 10 and 11). The chickens were further sacrificed and dissected. It was observed from footpad and air sac lesion scores that the triple-antigen vaccine was effective in lowering the severity of footpad and air sac lesion. See Table 9 below.

TABLE 9 Group Triple-antigen Score Naive vaccine Challenge Positive rate of footpad 0 88 100 infection (%) Positive rate of air sac 0 50 88 lesion (%)

Example 8: Dosage Test for Triple-Antigen Vaccine

The recombinant antigens were mixed with a commercially available adjuvant MONTANIDE™ ISA 71 VG (Seppic) to formulate subunit vaccines having recombinant antigens at four concentrations: 150 μg, 100 μg, 50 μs and 20 μs per dose (0.5 mL), respectively. Said adjuvant was mixed with said antigens at a 7:3 mix ratio by weight. Given that the specific gravity of said adjuvant is about 0.816, the vaccine produced in this experiment contained approximately 0.37 mL of adjuvant. Groups were designed as shown in Table 10.

TABLE 10 Group Naive B1 B2 B3 B4 Challenge Amount of each antigen per N/A 150 100 50 20 N/A dose (μg/0.5 mL)

4-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens (purchased from the Animal Drugs Inspection Branch of the Animal Health Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Taiwan) were used and kept in animal house facilities at the inspection branch. Said recombinant-antigen vaccine was administered to the chickens twice every two weeks for vaccination. Two weeks after vaccination, the chickens were challenged with Mycoplasma synoviae MS-f1 through tracheae and footpads. After challenge, blood samples were collected and serum was isolated to assess Mycoplasma synoviae-specific antibodies. Weight, footpad temperature, and footpad thickness of the chickens at various time points were also recorded. At the end of the experiment, a dissection was performed to observe the symptoms of air sac lesion among the chickens. Observed results were recorded following the diagnostic criteria for organ dysfunction as described in Table 5.

The results showed that the four doses of antigen vaccines used in this experiment could all induce antibody production in the chickens. In addition, the four doses that were tested in this experiment were all effective in alleviating symptoms regarding weight and footpad temperature (FIGS. 13 and 14). The chickens were further sacrificed and dissected. It was observed from air sac lesion scores that the four doses of vaccines tested were all effective in ameliorating air sac lesion (see Table 12).

TABLE 11 Group Score Naive B1 B2 B3 B4 S/P ratio < 0.5 10 1 0 0 0 S/P ratio > 0.5 0 11 11 11 12 S/P positive 0 92 100 100 100 rate (%)

TABLE 12 Group Score Naive B1 B2 B3 B4 Challenge 0 12 3 3 4 6 1 1 0 3 0 3 4 0 2 0 3 5 3 1 5 3 0 2 2 0 1 6 Positive rate of air 0 73 70 60 50 92 sac lesion (%) 

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition for alleviating symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection, comprising: at least two polypeptides selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 01 (Tuf), SEQ ID NO: 02 (NOX), and SEQ ID NO: 03 (M553-0285); and a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant.
 2. The composition of claim 1, wherein said composition comprises SEQ ID NO: 01, SEQ ID NO: 02, and SEQ ID NO:
 03. 3. The composition of claim 1, wherein said at least two polypeptides selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 01 (Tuf), SEQ ID NO: 02 (NOX), and SEQ ID NO: 03 (MS53-0285) have a concentration of 40 μg/mL to 900 μg/mL based on the total volume of said composition.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein said pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant comprises a complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant, alumina gel, surfactant, polyanion adjuvant, peptide, oil emulsion, or a combination thereof.
 5. The composition of claim 1, said composition further comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable additive.
 6. The composition of claim 5, wherein said pharmaceutically acceptable additive comprises a solvent, stabilizer, diluent, preservative, antibacterial agent, antifungal agent, isotonic agent, absorption delaying agent, or a combination thereof.
 7. The composition of claim 1, wherein said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are tracheal lesion, air sac lesion, arthritis or a combination thereof.
 8. The composition of claim 7, wherein said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least arthritis provided that the composition includes SEQ ID NO:
 01. 9. The composition of claim 7, wherein said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least air sac lesion provided that the composition includes SEQ ID NO: 02 and/or SEQ ID NO:
 03. 10. The composition of claim 7, wherein said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are at least tracheal lesion provided that the composition includes SEQ ID NO:
 03. 11. The composition of claim 2, wherein said symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection are tracheal lesion, air sac lesion and arthritis.
 12. An expression vector, comprising: the nucleotide sequence of at least two selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 5, and SEQ ID NO: 6; expression elements including a promoter and a ribosome binding site; and fusion partner sequences.
 13. An expression vector, comprising: the nucleotide sequence of at least two selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 01 (Tuf), SEQ ID NO: 02 (NOX), and SEQ ID NO: 03 (MS53-0285) expression elements including a promoter and a ribosome binding site; and fusion partner sequences.
 14. The expression vector of claim 12, wherein said fusion partner is DsbC from E. coli, MsyB from E. coli, FklB from E. coli or a combination thereof.
 15. The expression vector of claim 12, wherein said expression vector comprises the has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 07, SEQ ID NO: 08, or SEQ ID NO:
 09. 16. The expression vector of claim 13, wherein said fusion partner is DsbC from E. coli, MsyB from E. coli, FklB from E. coli or a combination thereof.
 17. The expression vector of claim 13, wherein said expression vector has a comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 07, SEQ ID NO: 08, or SEQ ID NO:
 09. 18. A method for alleviating symptoms caused by Mycoplasma synoviae infection, said method comprising: administering the composition of claim 1 to a subject. 